Internal-combustion engine.



v G. WESTINGHOUSE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. v APPLICATION FILED r1113. 12,'1907.

- 906,177. PaIinted Dec ;8,l908. r

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45 restrained UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

INTERNAL-COMB'USTION ENGINE.

I Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February12, 1907. Serial No. 867,078.

Patented Dec: 8, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE 'Wns'rnve- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. 7

. This invention relates to internal combus- 10 tion engines and has for an object the production of an engine which, in accordance with the power delivered, is relatively cheap to build.

A further object is the production of an engine in which means are employedfor maintaining a substantially constant pressure during the operation of the engine and for limiting the ultimate explosion pressure.

A-further object is the production of means 2 in connection with an engine cylinder whereby the cylinder and the coperating parts are relieved of the excessive strains ordinarily encountered during the explosion or expansion, but in which all the available energy,

renderedkinetic by the explosion, is effectively delivered to the engine piston.

These and other objects I attain in an en gine embodying the features herein described and illustrate v I In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a part thereof: Figure 1 is a partial sectional elevation of an en ine' embodying myinventio'n; and Fig. 2 ilustrates diagrammatically a detail of my invention.

In carrying v out my invention I provide each-engine cylinder with a variable combustion chamber which automatically accommodates itself to the existing conditions and 40 maintains within the engine asubstantially constant compression, no matter how much charge is admitted to the engine cylinder. I accomplish this by pfpviding at the compression end of the cy 'der a fluid pressure iston which is so located and arranged wit ,that any charge admittedto the engine cylinder will force it, during the compression p stroke, backwards in opposition to the re-- straining pressure and thereby increase the volume of the explosion chamber inaccorda nce with the amount of charge admitted, and maintain within the cylinder a snbstan tially constant compression. The fluid re'- strained piston is moreover so arranged that .it recede and further increase the volreference to the engine piston,

sure.

ume of the explosion chamber during the time it is exposed to the expansion or ex lo: sion pressure. cooperating parts of an engine operating under such conditions will never besubjectd to the excessively high stresses that are on e fluid restrained piston will, in receding under the impulse glven to it by-either the compression or explosion pressure, compress the restraining fluid a certain amount and therefore abstract energy fromthe engine cylinder. This ener however, is paid back by the expanslon of the restraining fluid after.the pressure within the enginecylinder has decreased below the pressure of the restraining fluid.

I am aware that various methods of-obtaining these results have been tried, but. to.

my knowledge none were successful, principally for the reason that the apparatus employed wasfault'y and introduced dlfi i culties that I propose to overcome by my improved apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, an engine cylinder 3 is provided with an admission port 4,

an exhaust port 5 and a piston 6, which is provided with a suitable connecting rod 7 A su plemental or auxiliary piston 8 is locate in a cylindrical chamber 9 which is provided at the compression end of the engine cylinder. The piston 8 is made as light as possible for the purpose of reducing its inertla and is adapted to recede, un er the influence of the compression and explosion pressure in;the,eng1ne cylinder, into the, chamber 9, against the pressure of a restraining fluid which is delivered to the-chamber through a port 10. The port 10 communi- The engine cylinder and the cates, through piping 11,- with a source of ly of sufficient size to. take care of the flui eakagefrom the chamber 9 and to maintain within the chamber 9, behind the piston 8, the desired amount of fluid pres- The piping 11 is provided with .a reducin valve 12 which is adapted to roportion t e degree of pressure admitte to thesrllo chamber 9. v

The piston 8 is hollow and is provided with sion pressure.

a hollowstem 13 which extends through a I'the chamber 9. I These volumes may be so dash 0t 14, located on the head 15 of the chamber 9, andwhich is adapted to admit cool' water to the piston 8. The stem-l3is provi ed with a passage 16' which communicates-with a cooling Water supply and extends downwardly through the stem into the piston 8; The. annular space within thestem 13 around the passage 16 communicates with a-water overflow through piping 17. A piston 18 is rigidly secured to the stem 13 and operates Within the cylinder of the dash pot 14. The head portion of the dash pot is provided with suitable packing 19, through which the stem 13 extends.

The operation of the engine is as follows: The charge is admitted to the engine cylinder the suction stroke of the piston and is during the ,compression stroke, into the end of the cylinder adjacent to the auxiliary piston 8. The auxiliary piston 8 isheld in the forward end of the chamber 9, by the restraining fluid admitted through the port 10, until the compression pressure within the engine cylinder exceeds the restraining pressure. It is then moved by the impulse of the compression within the engine cylinder, to such a position in the chamber 9' that the ressures on both sides of it are equal, Uner such conditions the ultimate compression will depend upon the relative volumes of the and of the chamber 9. It is apparent that the chamber 9 may be so designe that under the most extraordinary circumstances the compression will rise only a few pounds, or,

desired, onlya fraction of a pound, abovethe ultimate compression under which the ngine operates when delivering power equal to 1ts normal ra-ting At the instant of firing the compressed charge, the pressure in the enginecylinder tends to pile up, due to the expansion of the gases, but, since the piston 8 was balanced at the end of the compression stroke it will readily respond to any increase.

of pressure in the engine cylinder and will recede toward the rear end of the chamber 9, thereby increasing the volume of the combustion chamber and causing the pressure in the engine cylinder to remain practically constant, 'or at the most, only increasing a relatively small amount above the compres- The port 10in the chamber 9 is so arranged that a slight movement of the piston 8 Wlll close it and for that reason the fiuid' behind the iston 8 is confined durin the greater portion of the compression and ring stroke' and conse uently the piston 8, in moving backward into the chamber 9, comresses it. The ultimate 'pressure attained, oth behind and in front of the piston 8, is dependent upon the relative volumes of the clearance space in the engine cylinder and of proportioned that almost any desired ultimate pressure may be obtained. As the engine piston moves forward under the impulse I of: the explosion'pressure, the pressure in the cylinder tends to fall, but the piston 8, since it is balanced, responds to any decrease of ressure in the engine cylinder and moves ating pressure in the cylinder 9 an therefore pays back to theengine cylinder, by maintaining a constant pressure in it, the energy. utilized in compressing the confined restraining fluid.-

Since the pre onderating pressure in the chamber 9-wou d cause the piston 8 tcr be moved to the forward end of thechamber 9 at. an objectionable velocity, I have provided dash pot 14, which operates to check the piston when itnears the ends of its stroke. The dash 0t 14 is rovided with a fluid byeaking from the chamber 9- past the piston p'ot behind the iston. The .by-pass 21' also makes it possib e, by equalizing the pressure to move with great rapidity during the first part of its stroke and then to be positively checked by a fluid cushion. The by-pass 21' is so located that the pressures on eachside of the piston 18 durin a portion of its down- 'ward travel, are equal has closed the low' eri end of the-by-pass the pressure below the 'iston at once starts to pile up and to chec the downward'movementof the piston 8.

The red'ucmg valve -12 is provided inthe a mitted to the chamber 9. Such an arrangement will admit of readily controlling the ultimate compression pressure obtainable Within the engine cylinder end thereby to suit the various gases utilized. That is, the compression can be raised or lowered in accordance-with the leanness or the richness of the gas utilized.

In Fig. 2 I have shown somewhat diagrammatically an arrangement whereby the explosion within the engine cylinder is effective in storing up the com ressed supply of restrained fluid utilized in t e cylinder 9 of ment I provide in the wa of the cylinder 9 a port 22 which issolocatedadjacent to the port 10 that it will-be uncovered and exposed to the pressure withln the engine cylport 22 and a storage tank 24 and is provided with a spring restrained check valve 25 which will permit the delivery of fluid from After the piston 18'v pi ing 11 sothat diflerent pressures may be will provide means for adjusting the engine torward under the impulse of the pre on der ass 21, w 'ch is a apted to deliver the fluid 18 into the cylindrical chamber of the dash on each side of the piston ,18, for the piston 8 the piston 8. In carryin out this arrange- I inder." A pipe 23 communicates with the the engine cylinder to the tank but will pre- 4 vent a flow of fluid or a leakage of pressure in.

ment will eliminate the danger of an exploengine cylinder and its cooperating parts and consequently to variable explosion sure has-been attained in the engine cylinder over apparent that the firing ressure within constant explosion pressure; The volume of time of explosion and consequently the ultijected at t e time offiring t e char e; conthe opposite directiom The -valve 25 is: so 7 regulated andadjustedby its springthat it will not deliver. ressure from the engine cylinder -to-the tank until after a degree of presthat will insure the delivery to the tank of consumed gases only.- Such an arrangesion within .the tank: 24' or the=connecting 1 e. lhe port- 22 may be so located with reference to the piston 8 that it will not be uncovered by-the piston until after explosion has taken placewithin the engine cylinder. Such an arrangement in connection with the valve 25 will doubly'insure the delivery of consumed ga only to the tank 24. Other means 111 be employed in connection with the ve 25' for preventing, explosions within the tank do so.

"When the' engine cylinder is. provided with the adjustable combustion chamber and the automatically actuated piston, 8, it is apparent that the ultimate pressure in the engine cylinder is limited. It is moreif it is found necessary to the cylinder, instead of de ivering to the an exceedingly high pressure, is limited to some predetermined pressure which acts upon the engine piston throughout thegreater portion of the firing stroke. 1

The ordinary gas engines in which the clearance space is fixed, are subjected during their operation to variable compression,

pressures. The limited space in which the gas is confined at the time of explosion causes an exceedingly high pressure within the cylinder and consequently the parts must be designed to resist" the extreme stresses encountered at the time of ex losion.

Engines employing variable com ustion chambers operate under asubstantially constant pressure for all loads and also a the explosion chamber increases in accordance with the expansion of the gas at the mate explosion pressure is to some safe predetermined pressure. The energy utilize in increasing the size of the combustion chamberj'ispaid back to the engine cylinder by-maintaining throughout the firing stroke or the major orti'on of it a pressure within the' engine cy inder which is substantially equal to the pressure to which the ower delivering arts were subow and limited sequently the parts, instead of being esigned to resist an extreme stresswhich exists for an exceedingly short time, are designed to resist a safe predetermined stress whichexists piston and then is caused to rapi fora- -longertime'; consequently an: engine equipped with my inventionmay be made much lighter, and therefore'ischeaper thanan ordinary engine'of the same horse power.

In accordancewith the provisions ofthe patent statutes, I-have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which-I now considerto represent the best embodiment thereof but I desire to have it understood that the .What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination with'a cylinder and its piston of' a su plemental reciprocable piston subjected to the fluid pressure within the cylinder, means for admitting flui'd pressure behind said' supplemental pistoi to op ose the pressure within said cylinder and means whereby the fluid pressure behind said piston is maintained substantially constant throughout a 1portion of the stroke of said supplementa piston and then is caused to rapidly increase.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a cylinder and its piston of a su plemental reciprocable piston subjecte to the fluid pressure within the cylinder, means for admitting fluid pressure behind said suppllemental piston to oppose the pressure wit said cylinder, means whereby the fluid pressure behind said piston is maintained substantially constant throughout a portion of the stroke of said su plemental piston and then is caused to rapi ly increase and means for checking the motion of said piston near the end of its stroke.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a cylinder and its piston of a supplemental reciprocable piston subjects to the fluid pressure within the cylinder, means for admitting fluid pressure behind said su plemental piston to oppose the pressure wit in said cylinder, means whereby the fluid pressure behind said piston is maintained substantially constant throughout aportion of the stroke of said s (fiplemental piston and then is caused to ra i y increase and a dash-pot tor checking t e motion of said piston near each end of its stroke.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination with a cylinder and its piston of I -l20 to the fluid pressure withmthe oylina supplemental reciprocable piston subjecte der, means for admitting fluid pressure be- 1 hind said sulplpllemental piston to oppose the pressure wit said cylinder, means whereby the fluid ressure behind said piston is mamtained su stantially constant throughout a portion of the stroke of said sudplplemental y increase 4 n I 900,177 v and means whereby said supplemental piston whereby said piston is subjected to the presis caused to pump the opposing fluid pressure sure within said tank throughout a. portion of durinilits reciprocations. its stroke only.

5. an internal combustion engine; the 'In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 5 combination with a, cylinder and its piston of subscribed my name this 29th day of J anu- 15 a. supplemental reciprooable piston subary, 1907. p jecte .to the fluid pressure within said 0 lin- GEO. WESTINGHOUSE. I der, :1, fluid su ply tank adapted to de iver Witnesses: I

fluid pressure ehind said iston to oppose CHARLES W. McGnEE, 10 the pressure within said cy mder and means E. W. MoCALLisTER. 

